Written Answers

Thursday 13 July 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the grant scheme, with rates at 40%, to help those farmers who find themselves in areas designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.

Ross Finnie: The announcement of the proposed grant scheme to assist farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones was made for the first time on 30 March.

Air Accident

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will give to the comments of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, Dr Lewis Moonie on 27 June 2000, that there had been negligence on the part of the pilots leading to the crash of the RAF Chinook Helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994; whether it will review its own previous declared position that the findings of the fatal accident inquiry should stand, and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government on this issue.

Colin Boyd QC: I would refer to the answer given in question S1W-8286.

  My responsibilities in relation to this tragedy were to ask Crown Counsel to consider the other information published since the Fatal Accident Inquiry in 1996. Crown Counsel concluded that there was no basis for seeking to re-open the Fatal Accident Inquiry, even if such a step were legally competent.

  I have no other responsibility in relation to the tragedy, other than under the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1976. The Ministry of Defence are aware of my decision in this matter.

Black Cuillins

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will obtain copies of all the title deeds of the Black Cuillins on Skye recorded in the Register of Sasines, including evidence of the title of the current owner, a full prescriptive progress, all burden writs and any undischarged security writs.

Mr Jim Wallace: All title deeds in the Register of Sasines are publicly available.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether current concessions for empty sheep and cattle floats on Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferry routes represented a commercial decision by CalMac or a requirement by the Scottish Executive, and whether the specification for the new, tendered ferry services will incorporate a requirement to retain existing float concessions.

Sarah Boyack: Fares concessions are a commercial matter for Caledonian MacBrayne. I understand that this particular concession was introduced following discussions between the company and the National Farmers Union of Scotland.

  Decisions on the specification for tendering, including the possible incorporation of the concessions currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, will be taken by the Scottish Executive in due course. All relevant factors will be taken into account, including representations made during the recent consultation exercise and the conclusions of the review of fares structures currently being carried out by the company, at the request of the Executive.

Climate Change Levy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-7781 and S1W-7785 by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000, how many firms the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office has contacted with regard to the climate change levy and what percentage of Scottish businesses this represents.

Henry McLeish: The information requested is not available. But as part of an ongoing programme, the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office (SEEO) is endeavouring to make Scottish businesses aware of how the climate change levy will affect them and what they can do to mitigate its impact. Information on the CCL is being disseminated by way of seminars; other business events, press articles, the SEEO website and the Enterprise Network. The SEEO is also working with the major energy suppliers in Scotland with a view to sending information on the CCL to their business customers.

Communities

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7208 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimates on (a) the Annual Expenditure Report, (b) pathfinder costs and (c) supporting social justice aims from the estimates on Working For Communities in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02, as contained in table 2.7 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive 2000.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The breakdown of Pathfinder costs is as follows:

  


Working for Communities 


2000-01 Plans 


2001-02 Plans 



 

£000 


£000 




Pathfinder costs 

 
 



West Edinburgh 


150 


150 




Greater Easterhouse 


240 


240 




Auchenback "Active" 


270 


270 




Dick’s Hill New Community Horizons 
Programme 


130 


120 




Lochaber Communications Network 


170 


100 




Cultenhove for Change 


140 


150 




Inverclyde Youth Partnership 


100 


120 




Local Service Delivery on Dumbarton 
Road Corridor 


60 


40 




Housing Wider Action  


90 


110 




Fife Community Benefits 


180 


180 




Great Northern Community 


110 


110 




Dawson Estate Management Initiative 


140 


150 




Western Isles 


80 


80 




Total 


1,860 


1,820 




  The resources shown against Supporting Social Justice aims are available for other aspects of the social inclusion agenda and as such will be allocated to relevant objectives, such as the development of the social economy, digital inclusion and community empowerment, as appropriate.

  The figures requested at (a) are the sum of the other two items.

Digital Hearing Aids

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many digital hearing aid trials are currently taking place.

Susan Deacon: Six different types of digital hearing aid are already available to all NHS Trusts in Scotland through central contracts. Fife Health Board, Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Scottish Section of the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research are currently evaluating the effectiveness of current procedures for selecting hearing aids and the effectiveness of three digital aids. This work is due to be completed by February 2001.

Employment

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total employment was in the public sector in the departments and agencies under the control of the Scottish Executive, and previously the Secretary of State for Scotland, in total and by department and agency in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Jack McConnell: I refer the member to question S1W-4038 answered on 10 March 2000.

Enterprise

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7977 by Henry McLeish on 28 June 2000, whether it will detail by public agency, including Glenrothes Development Corporation, Fife Council, Fife Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and government departments, the total amount of public money spent in providing the facilities, infrastructure and incentives to encourage Canon to locate in Glenrothes.

Henry McLeish: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the requirement under The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) that remediation costs must be reasonable includes a commitment that enforcement will be pursued only where remediation costs are affordable to the owners or occupiers of any site in question.

Sarah Boyack: An enforcing authority can only serve a remediation notice if it is satisfied that it would seek to recover all of the share of the reasonable costs from each appropriate person. If not, it has powers instead to carry out the remediation activity itself, and recover relevant costs.

  Statutory guidance on the recovery of the costs of remediation is set out in Chapter E, which sets out guidance on the extent to which the enforcing authority should seek to recover the costs of any remediation activity which it has carried out. It refers in particular to how the enforcing authority should deal with the threat of business closure or insolvency to small or medium-sized enterprises.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether controlled waters in terms of the risk assessment under The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) includes waters in coastal docks and harbours unrelated to natural or canalised water courses.

Sarah Boyack: The definition of controlled waters in section 78A(9) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 refers to that in section 30A of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, and embraces territorial and coastal waters, inland fresh waters and groundwater.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the definition of equity or fairness in The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) will require local authorities and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to assess the affordability to owners and occupiers of remediation.

Sarah Boyack: Statutory guidance on exclusion from, and apportionment of, liability for remediation is set out in Chapter D of the guidance, which was laid before Parliament on 25 May. It provides guidance on circumstances where two or more persons are liable to bear the responsibility for any particular thing by way of remediation. It deals with the questions of who should be excluded from liability, and how the cost of each remediation action should be apportioned between those who remain liable after any such exclusion.

  An enforcing authority can only serve a remediation notice if it is satisfied that it would seek to recover all of the share of the reasonable costs from each appropriate person. If not, it has powers instead to carry out the remediation activity itself, and recover relevant costs.

  Statutory guidance on the recovery of the costs of remediation is set out in Chapter E of the guidance. It sets out guidance on the extent to which the enforcing authority should seek to recover the costs of any remediation activity which it has carried out. It refers in particular to how the enforcing authority should deal with the threat of business closure or insolvency to small or medium-sized enterprises.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) , whether businesses seeking information on sites placed on the registers to be maintained by the enforcing authorities will require to pay fees for access to the Scottish Executive’s registers.

Sarah Boyack: Public registers will be maintained by local authorities and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Registers will be available, at all reasonable times, for inspection by the public free of charge. Members of the public will also be able to obtain copies of entries on payment of reasonable charges.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) , what appeal mechanisms against remediation notices by local authorities and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will be established.

Sarah Boyack: Appeal procedures are set out in section 78L of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and regulations 7-11 of the Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/178). Remediation notices served by local authorities can be appealed to the sheriff by way of summary application, and notices served by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency can be appealed to Scottish Ministers.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) , whether sites placed on the public register will be classified in relation to the degree of risk and whether there will be a procedure for removing sites from the register if they are treated to appropriate standards.

Sarah Boyack: Sites will be placed on the public register when remediation notices are served by local authorities, and will remain there, together with details of remediation actions which have been carried out. Special sites will be placed on the public register when they are designated by local authorities.

  Sites will not be classified according to risk, and there will not be a procedure for removing them from the register once remediation has been carried out.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to  The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) , whether contaminated sites will be exempt from remediation notices if public access is prevented and there is no impact on controlled waters.

Sarah Boyack: Statutory guidance on the definition and identification of contaminated land is set out in Chapters A and B of the guidance, which was laid before Parliament on 25 May.

  For a site to be designated as contaminated, there have to exist a source, pathway and target for the contamination. The local authority will have to satisfy itself that these all exist before making its determination that the land is contaminated.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it will issue to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and local authorities under The Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000 Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (Final) about issuing remediation notices to small businesses occupying polluted land, owned by other parties, in circumstances where the small businesses are locked into tenancy agreements predating the regulations, given that tenancy agreements may transfer potential obligations from owners and polluters to current occupiers of contaminated sites.

Sarah Boyack: An enforcing authority can only serve a remediation notice if it is satisfied that it would seek to recover all of the share of the reasonable costs from each appropriate person. If not, it has powers instead to carry out the remediation activity itself, and recover relevant costs.

  Statutory guidance on the recovery of the costs of remediation is set out in Chapter E, which sets out guidance on the extent to which the enforcing authority should seek to recover the costs of any remediation activity which it has carried out. It refers in particular to how the enforcing authority should deal with the threat of business closure or insolvency to small or medium-sized enterprises.

Equal Opportunities

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7212 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000, whether it will detail the spend to date on research and consultative work regarding equalities contained in table 2.8 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive 2000 .

Jackie Baillie: For the period April to June 2000, over £14,000 has been spent on research and consultation within the Equality Programme Budget. This includes the costs of analysing the responses to the Scottish Executive consultation paper, Towards an Equality Strategy , developing and applying methods of consultation such as the Women in Scotland Consultative Forum and the Race Equality Advisory Forum, the organisation of the Health Research Seminar held on 28 June in Edinburgh and ongoing work on gender disaggregated statistics.

Erskine Bridge

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has recovered in full the costs of the repairs to the Erskine Bridge, following the damage caused by an offshore structure, from the parties deemed to be negligent.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is committed to recovering the costs of the repairs to the Erskine Bridge. Counsel has been instructed with a view to raising court proceedings against those considered to be responsible.

Executive Consultations

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many formal consultations it launched between May 1999 and June 2000 and whether it will list for each of these consultations (a) the cost of launching and promoting the consultation; (b) the cost of analysing the consultation responses; (c) the length of the consultation period; (d) the number of responses received and (e) the date, or expected date, of publication of a summary of responses.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not currently held centrally. Measures are being undertaken to improve the Scottish Executive’s handling of consultations. The policy was set out in the statement I made on 1 June ( Official Report, col. 1205-15).

Executive Consultations

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in respect of how many consultations which were launched between May 1999 and June 2000 and where the consultation period is now closed have summaries of consultation responses received been compiled and who compiled each such summary.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not currently held centrally. However such information will become available in the future as measures are being undertaken to improve the Scottish Executive’s handling of consultations. The policy was set out in the statement I made on 1 June ( Official Report, col. 1205-15).

Executive Consultations

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has adopted a policy of consulting more widely, in terms of both those consulted and the range of issues consulted upon, than was the case prior to May 1999; whether it has a policy of always consulting on certain types of issues; what criteria it uses in determining whether to consult on an issue and how it decides who should receive invitations to respond to different consultation exercises.

Mr Jack McConnell: The management of consultations varies according to the type and scale of the consultation exercise. Measures are being undertaken to develop the Scottish Executive’s handling of consultations. The policy was set out in the statement I made on 1 June ( Official Report, col. 1205-15).

Executive Consultations

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who reads consultation responses and whether it sends acknowledgements to individuals and groups who submit responses.

Mr Jack McConnell: The handling of responses varies according to the type and scale of the consultation exercise. Measures are being undertaken to improve the Scottish Executive’s handling of consultations. The policy was set out in the statement I made on 1 June ( Official Report, col. 1205-15).

Family Mediation

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding was provided for family mediation services in Scotland over the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Information on funding for family mediation services over the last five years is detailed in the following table, together with funding for this financial year:

  

 

1995-96 


1996-97 


1997-98 


1998-99 


1999-2000 


2000-01 




Family Mediation Scotland 


£61,000 plus £30,000 
and £3,498 capital funding  


£61,000 plus £30,000 
 


£61,000 plus £30,000 


£61,000 plus £25,000 


£62,830 plus £25,750 


£71,149 




Family Mediation Borders 


£8,932 


£10,200 


 £11,707 


£11,707 


£12,058 


£31,000 




Family Mediation Central 


£61,093 plus £988 
capital funding 


£61,093 


£64,462 


£64,462 


£66,396 


£77,195 




Family Mediation Dumfries & 
Galloway 


£0 


£0 


 £23,160 


 £23,160 


 £23,855 


 £55,000 




Family Mediation Grampian 


£0 


£0 


£23,530 


£23,530 


£24,236 


£43,150 




Family Mediation Highland 


£24,427 plus £4,133 
capital funding 


£24,091 


£23,647 


£23,647 


£24,356 


£24,965 




Family Mediation Lothian 


£0 


£0 


£0 


£17,000 


£17,510 


£50,490 




Family Mediation Tayside 


£18,358 


£25,820 


£37,794 


£37,794 


£38,928 


£59,556 




Family Mediation Western Isles 


£26,918 


£26,918 


£26,320 


£26,320 


£27,110  


£26,250  




Family Mediation West of Scotland 


£0 


£0 


£22,000 


£22,000 


£22,660 


£38,601 




Total 


£239,347 


£239,122 


£323,620 


£335,620 


£345,689 


£477,356 




  The Scottish Executive places great importance on the work of organisations offering family mediation in Scotland. In addition to the Family Mediation Services listed the Scottish Executive also provides funding for a number of related organisations which provide support for families in need.

Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total running costs of the Scottish Executive and its agencies, or its predecessor departments, were in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Mr Jack McConnell: Figures for actual and estimated expenditure on running costs by The Scottish Office and its agencies for the period 1993-94 to 1998-99 are contained in Appendix 3 of the Government’s Expenditure Plans 1999-2000 to 2001-02, Serving Scotland’s Needs . Figures for estimated expenditure on running costs in 1999-2000 by the Scottish Executive are contained in Chapter 9 of the annual expenditure report of the Scottish Executive, Investing in You . Information on estimated expenditure by some of its agencies are in other Chapters of this report. Tables showing expenditure on running costs by the Scottish Executive and all of its agencies for 1999-2000 will be made available shortly on the Internet.

Fuel

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the introduction of bio-diesel.

Henry McLeish: There are no plans to support the introduction of bio-diesel.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be saved from the announcement of maximum prices for generic medicines and what projects these savings will be redirected to.

Susan Deacon: The UK Government announced on 20 April proposals to set from 1 August 2000 maximum prices for generic drugs. The consultation period ended on 24 May and the department has subsequently undertaken a further limited consultation with the industry on revised maximum prices.

  It is currently estimated that if the proposals were introduced in their current form the potential savings to the drugs bill in Scotland would be approximately £20 million annually. These savings would accrue directly to health boards through their unified budget allocation and it is for boards and Trusts to apply all funds in the light of locally determined priorities.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase awareness of the causes and consequences of malnutrition among healthcare and social services staff.

Susan Deacon: It is widely recognised that, next to smoking, diet is the most important contributor to poor health, and that overweight or obesity is the main problem in Scotland as opposed to under nourishment. The Scottish Diet Action Plan provides the framework within which the Executive is tackling Scotland’s poor diet.

  The Scottish Executive has issued guidance on core nutritional standards and has asked that they be applied in nursing homes and in all NHS care facilities by health boards and NHS Trusts. In addition, the Clinical Resource and Audit Group (CRAG) has funded an audit of the nutrition of elderly people to assess and improve the quality of nutritional care provided to elderly people living in a variety of NHS and non-NHS settings. This study included the development of a nutrition education pack and nutrition action plan toolkit to raise staff awareness. The results of the study will be published shortly and it is planned to hold a series of meetings throughout Scotland to feedback the results and reinforce the existing standards and guidance to NHS and social services managers and staff. In March, the Health Education Board for Scotland launched a training package for healthcare staff, which is available through HEBSWeb, and a resource will be available later this year for healthcare staff to give to patients, including children, on obesity and weight management.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are currently followed by the Blood Transfusion Service concerning the donation of blood by sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) adheres to the Guidelines for the Medical Selection of Blood Donors. These evidence-based guidelines are frequently reviewed and revised by the Standing Advisory Committee on Donor Selection using the most up-to-date medical knowledge available. Information on the guidelines, and how they are applied, is available from SNBTS, and I have arranged for them to write to the member directly.

Hepatitis C

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to provide education and advice on prevention to young people about hepatitis C infection.

Susan Deacon: It is expected that the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on hepatitis C, including prevention, will be published in the summer, when the Executive will give its conclusions urgent consideration.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend membership of the Rural Housing National Steering Group to include representatives of local authorities in the south of Scotland and housing associations currently involved in housing development.

Ms Wendy Alexander: When considering the membership of the National Steering Group, I was keen to ensure that the group contained representatives of the relevant housing interests. Both the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations were invited to nominate appropriate individuals to serve on the group. As it is the organisation who are the members of the steering group they are free to circulate the group papers throughout their organisations and to change their nomination at any point, for example, if they wish to involve representatives from other areas of Scotland or to reflect the specific issues to be discussed at the group. I have no plans to extend the number of members represented on the group.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7983 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 15 June 2000, what criteria will be used in deciding which areas should be designated as areas where there are particular difficulties in meeting the demand for socially rented housing.

Ms Wendy Alexander: In the consultation paper  Better Homes for Scotland’s Community - the Executive’s proposals for the Housing Bill which was published on 5 July, we explained that relevant areas would include those where there is a shortage of socially rented housing or limits on new development posed by land, planning and infrastructure constraints. We plan to refine the criteria and related procedures further in the light of advice from the National Steering Group for the Rural Partnership for Change Initiative and the working party which I announced in my speech to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations Annual Conference on 16 June.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7983 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 15 June 2000, what funding mechanisms will be set in place to enable social landlords in designated areas to offer tenants financial assistance towards the purchase of a house on the open market.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Local authorities currently have powers under section 66 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988, to offer grants to qualifying tenants of the authority to assist them to purchase a house in the private sector. Where a local authority decides to operate such a scheme it is required to find the resources from within its capital allocation for the year in which payments are to be made.

  The Executive is currently considering the precise funding mechanisms that will apply to any cash incentives provided to tenants of social landlords in line with the proposals set out in paragraph 42 of the Consultation Paper Better Homes for Scotland’s Communities - The Executive’s proposals for the Housing Bill.

Housing

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7983 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 15 June 2000, whether housing associations will have to apply to Scottish Homes or the Scottish Executive when seeking exemption from the modernised right to buy for up to 10 years; whether housing associations themselves will be empowered to select the length of time, within the 10-year period for which properties will remain exempt, and whether there will be any facility for the 10-year period to be extended by further application in circumstances where the financial viability of landlords is still felt to be threatened.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Our proposals as set out in the Consultation Paper, Better Homes for Scotland’s Communities: The Executive’s Proposals for the Housing Bill envisage that it will be for housing associations themselves to decide, over the 10-year period, if and when to offer their tenants the modernised right to buy and that once a decision to "opt in" had been made, the modernised right to buy would continue to be available for the remainder of the 10-year period. We do not envisage that the exemption period should be extended beyond 10 years.

Housing

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7205 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimates on the Annual Expenditure Report from the estimates for new housing partnerships in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02, as contained in table 2.5 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive 2000.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Following submission of bids by councils, the New Housing Partnership Steering Group earmarked £15.5 million in 2000-01 and £7.9 million in 2001-02 of NHP funds for feasibility and other works related to stock transfer. To achieve consistency of awards, the steering group recommended that councils should discuss their proposed spending programme on transfer feasibility with Scottish Homes. A number of councils have still to agree their costs for these two years and it is not possible therefore to produce a breakdown of the figures.

Influenza

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it examines practices elsewhere in Europe in deciding on an appropriate flu vaccine programme for the elderly.

Susan Deacon: My answer to question S1W-3919 by Mr Duncan Hamilton confirms that the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, which provides advice to the Executive on such matters, holds information on influenza vaccination policies for European countries.

  Decisions concerning vaccination programmes are made on the basis of locally relevant scientific information and take into account the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Influenza

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for GPs with regard to the flu vaccine programme for the over 65s this year.

Susan Deacon: Following discussions with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the BMA, the Scotland-wide target for immunising the over 65 age group has been set at 60% this year.

Land

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests from local authorities to dispose of land or property at less than full market value it has refused since 1 July 1999, broken down by local authority, and how many of these requests related to (a) land and (b) property.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Section 74(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 ensures that council tax payers obtain value for their assets, affords a measure of protection to the authority against charges of discrimination between purchasers and precludes the award of hidden subsidies. Our usual policy has been to grant applications for dispensation under section 74(2) if the intending buyer or lessee is performing some kind of charitable or public service function and where it could reasonably be argued that the buyer could not afford the full market price.

  Under this section, two requests have been turned down. These are:

  North Lanarkshire Council requested consent to dispose of a former play area at Roman Road, Motherwell to the Roman Road Gospel Hall (RRGH) at less than market value. The council stated that RRGH had informed them that the public benefit gained from the proposal would be that the cars currently parked on Roman Road would be removed to the car park. We felt that this did not justify selling a public asset at less than full market value. The council also stated in their original application that the reason the council were selling the land to the Gospel Hall was to allow them to expand their facilities. In later correspondence it was confirmed that the Gospel Hall had since indicated to the council by letter that they have no intention to expand, thus rendering the councils original reason for selling the land to RRGH redundant. Consent was refused on 16 May 2000.

  Orkney Islands council requested consent to dispose of land to the executors of a Mr Cecil Copland at less than market value. This was due to the original sale to Mr Copland, in 1977, not going ahead because of an oversight by the council. Since 1977 Mr Copland had been using the land. When he died his executors stated that, although the payment had not gone through the land belonged to Mr Copland and only the originally agreed price would need to be paid. Because of the period of time the price of the land had risen so selling at the original price would need section 74 consent. We asked the council what public benefit would be gained from this sale and they replied by stating that they could not see any public benefit in selling the land to the above parties. Although the case was an unusual one, we could not grant consent to dispose of a public asset if there was no clear benefit to the public. The fault lay with both parties in that each failed to pursue the sale to its proper conclusion. Consent was refused on 22 May 2000.

  These are the only applications refused consent under section 74 since 1 July 1999.

  Requests for consent to dispose of land at less than best price are considered under section 74(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. In addition, if the land is held on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), consent in terms of section 12(7) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 will also be required.

  Requests for consent to dispose of housing held on the Housing Revenue Account at less than best price are considered under section 12(7) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (section 12(10) disapplies section 74(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973).

  No requests have been turned down under section 12(7) since 1 July 1999.

Legislation

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Minister for Justice on 20 January 2000, when it intends to publish the White Paper on family law which was promised for May 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: It has not proved possible to issue the White Paper before the Scottish Parliament recess. However, we expect to issue the White Paper shortly after Parliament resumes.

Lifelong Learning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated cost is of the marketing campaign for learndirect scotland.

Henry McLeish: While definitive figures are not available at this stage, it is anticipated that some £1.5 million will be available for the comprehensive marketing campaign learndirect scotland has planned for 2000-01.

Lifelong Learning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the database being compiled by Learndirect Scotland will be completed prior to the introduction of individual learning accounts.

Henry McLeish: The national learndirect scotland database will be available prior to the full introduction of learndirect scotland and individual learning accounts this autumn. Thereafter the database will be refined and developed on a continuous basis to ensure that accurate, relevant and comprehensive opportunities continue to be available to potential learners across Scotland.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Rural Affairs intends to reply to my letter dated 10 May 2000 regarding my constituent Mr G Gibb.

Ross Finnie: In response to the letter a detailed review is being carried out into the decision made in Mr Gibb’s case in order to allow me to consider whether or not the correct decision was made. I will reply to the member as soon as the review, which includes consideration of historical records, has been completed.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether beta interferon will continue to be made available to multiple sclerosis patients in Scotland in the light of the announcement by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in England and Wales.

Susan Deacon: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has made no announcement about beta interferon as its appraisal process is still running. NICE have sent their draft conclusions for comment in strict confidence to a number of interested parties, including patient groups. The Scottish Executive has not received the draft conclusions from NICE and, until the process under way is complete, we cannot speculate on what might be in the draft.

  At present local Drug and Therapeutic Committees provide advice to clinicians in their health board on the use of beta interferon in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. To provide a single national focus for this advice, I recently wrote to the Health Technology Board asking them to provide advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of beta interferon as a treatment for multiple sclerosis as an early priority.

NHS Complaints

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to review the current NHS complaints procedures.

Susan Deacon: A UK-wide evaluation of the NHS complaints procedure is currently being undertaken by an independent group of researchers commissioned by the Health Departments of the four countries. The evaluation commenced in January 1999 and the group will present their final report in January 2001.

NHS Complaints

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it intends to take to create an independent complaints procedure for the NHS.

Susan Deacon: The NHS complaints procedure, introduced in 1996, is designed to be independent of the NHS and Ministers. A UK-wide evaluation of the procedure is being carried out by an independent group of researchers - The York Health Economics Consortium. Their report is expected in January 2001.

  One of the issues the researchers have been asked to consider is whether and how the complaints procedure, including its "independence", can be improved. The NHS complaints procedure (especially the independent review panel) is not perceived by the public to be independent. This will be one of the considerations which will be taken into account once the evaluation has been completed, and in planning the future development of the system.

NHS Funding

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4576 by Susan Deacon on 26 April 2000, whether it will consider making representations to Her Majesty’s Government in respect of a transfer of funds paid to the Department of Health by the Irish Government for ECMO treatment carried out by the NHS in Scotland to Scotland.

Susan Deacon: No. A once-and-for-all transfer of funds was made to the health budget for Scotland by the Department of Health in 1989 to meet the costs of treatment carried out in Scotland under the reciprocal health care agreement. The cost to health boards of care provided under the reciprocal health care agreement is recognised within the total resources allocated to each health board each year.

NHS Funding

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the additional funding for the National Health Service, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the last UK Budget, has been received by each health board in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: £60 million of the additional money has been allocated to health boards. The table shows each board’s allocation.

  


Health Board 


£000 




Argyll and Clyde 


5,098 




Ayrshire and Arran 


4,334 




Borders 


1,310 




Dumfries and Galloway 


1,830 




Fife 


3,812 




Forth Valley 


2,976 




Grampian 


5,543 




Greater Glasgow 


11,179 




Highland 


2,496 




Lanarkshire 


6,040 




Lothian 


8,173 




Orkney 


249 




Shetland 


293 




Tayside 


4,728 




Western Isles 


440 




SAS 


1,000 




CSA 


500

NHS Funding

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for any delays experienced by health boards in receiving the additional health service funding earmarked in the last UK Budget.

Susan Deacon: I announced on 2 May that an additional £60 million would be allocated to health boards (including the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Common Services Agency). Boards were asked to demonstrate how their share of the extra funds would bring real benefits to patient services. Following analysis and evaluation of local plans, I confirmed the release of additional allocations on 30 June.

NHS Staff

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the timescale for the appointment of the additional NHS staff in each of the categories announced in Scottish Executive News Release SE 1900/2000 on 28 June 2000.

Susan Deacon: The 210 new specialist nursing posts will be filled mostly by nurses already in the NHS in Scotland. The resulting vacant posts will be filled by newly recruited nurses. The start of the specialist training programmes and the recruitment of the new nurses are both scheduled to take place in September 2000.

  The 110 new posts for doctors will be filled as soon as possible. The Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education has already taken the necessary steps to start the recruitment process for training grade doctors. For some grades the timing of this process is constrained by the structure of training rotations and by graduation dates. I expect the posts to be filled within the current financial year.

NHS Staff

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unfilled medical and clinical oncology posts there are at each medical grade in each NHS Trust.

Susan Deacon: The latest data available refers to consultant and staff grades at the annual notification of vacancies at 30 September 1999, which is collected by ISD Scotland. At 30 September 1999 there were no unfilled consultant or staff grade posts in clinical and medical oncology. Only consultant and staff grade vacancies are recorded. Information on vacancies for junior doctors is collected on a regional level and are not held centrally.

  We are committed to increasing the number of doctors in the NHS in Scotland, particularly in the area of cancer treatment. That is why I have recently announced a package of additional investment in the workforce which includes provision for new consultant doctors in cancer services.

NHS Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors were employed in Scotland, in total and expressed as a full-time equivalent figure, in each year from 1979 to 2000.

Susan Deacon: The information available on medical staff employed in the NHS in Scotland is shown in the following table. The table should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  


Year 


Number 


WTE 




Total2


Total2




1979 


9,838 


8,802.3 




1980 


9,923 


8,884.8 




1981 


10,050 


9,023.6 




1982 


10,128 


9,157.6 




1983 


10,270 


9,271.3 




1984 


10,378 


9,374.2 




1985 


10,293 


9,398.3 




1986 


10,309 


9,341.9 




1987 


10,375 


9,386.7 




1988 


10,699 


9,688.8 




1989 


10,774 


9,766.0 




1990 


10,908 


9,851.7 




1991 


10,931 


9,886.4 




1992 


11,127 


10,054.3 




1993 


11,249 


10,192.5 




1994 


11,503 


10,398.5 




1995 


11,755 


10,596.8 




1996 


12,004 


10,883.0 




1997 


12,375 


11,222.5 




1998 


12,500 


11,339.5 




1999p


12,736 


11,544.1 




  p Provisional.

  Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, General Medical Practitioner Database, ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  There is an element of double counting as some doctors hold more than one contract.

  The table shows all doctors, except locums, working in the NHS in Scotland. It includes both career and training grades working in Hospital Services, Primary Care Services, Public Health Medicine and Community Services, including those with honorary contracts.

  Whole time equivalent (WTE) is calculated by dividing the number of sessions by the normal (conditioned) hours for the group of staff.

National Asset Register

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all of the assets registered in the National Asset Register which are under the control of it, its departments or agencies, local authorities or other Scottish public bodies and any assets under the control of these bodies which are not currently on the Register.

Mr Jack McConnell: The National Asset Register (NAR) was published in November 1997 to provide a picture at a point in time of the assets owned by central government departments, their executive agencies, executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), health bodies and other sponsored bodies. The NAR did not cover the assets of local authorities since their assets belong to them and not to central government.

  The different groups have continued to maintain their own fixed asset registers and the published accounts of agencies, NDPBs, NHS Trusts, health boards and public corporations provide information on the assets held and the movements during each year. The resource accounts of the Scottish Executive for 1999-2000 when audited and published will provide similar levels of disclosure.

Organ Transplants

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the training being undertaken by nursing staff will affect the operation of the cardiac transplant unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Susan Deacon: This is an integral part of the strategy for resumption in full of the Scottish heart transplant programme. The nurses’ training will be undertaken in a way which does not disrupt the work of the unit.

Organ Transplants

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the training being undertaken by the three heart surgeons will affect the operation of the cardiac transplant unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Susan Deacon: The three surgeons will be released for training in a way that does not disrupt the work of the unit. Their training is an integral part of the strategy for resumption in full of the Scottish heart transplant programme.

Pay

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what the annual percentage rise was in (i) the average earnings of public sector workers and (ii) overall average earnings in each year since 1979, and is estimated to be in each future year for which figures are available; (b) how each of these figures compares with the equivalent (i) UK figure and (ii) English figure, and (c) what the actual average earnings figure was in each of these categories in the earliest year for which figures are available, in cash terms.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects data annually in the New Earnings Survey and has supplied the information shown in the tables below. Further information on earnings can be obtained directly from ONS.

  Table 1 shows the percentage increases in gross weekly earnings1 in (a) the public sector and (b) all sectors for Scotland, England and Great Britain over the period for which comparable data is available. UK figures and estimates for future years are not available. Table 2 shows the average gross weekly earnings figures for 1986, the earliest year for which information is available.

  Table 1: Percentage increase in gross weekly earnings

  


Year 


Public Sector 
percentage increase 


Whole economy 
percentage increase 




Scotland 


England 


Great Britain 


Scotland 


England 


Great Britain 




1986-87 


7.0 


5.6 


5.9 


6.2 


7.4 


7.4 




1987-88 


7.6 


9.1 


8.7 


8.1 


9.9 


9.6 




1988-89 


14.9 


12.5 


12.8 


9.1 


10.1 


10.1 




1989-90 


4.6 


4.6 


4.5 


9.6 


9.4 


9.3 




1990-91 


9.1 


10.8 


10.7 


8.8 


7.8 


8.0 




1991-92 


4.1 


7.0 


6.7 


7.5 


6.0 


6.2 




1992-93 


8.0 


4.1 


4.6 


2.9 


3.9 


3.8 




1993-94 


2.2 


5.5 


4.8 


0.1 


1.9 


1.7 




1994-95 


3.0 


2.3 


2.5 


4.4 


3.8 


3.9 




1995-96 


2.9 


2.7 


3.0 


3.7 


3.4 


3.5 




1996-97 


3.2 


3.2 


3.2 


3.0 


4.3 


4.2 




1997-98 


3.1 


3.5 


3.3 


4.2 


5.0 


4.8 




1998-99 


5.7 


3.8 


4.0 


4.7 


3.4 


3.6 




  Table 2: Average gross weekly earnings in 1986 (£)

  


Public Sector 


Whole economy 




Scotland 


England 


Great Britain 


Scotland 


England 


Great Britain 




151.2 


154.3 


153.6 


155.6 


162.8 


161.4 




  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. Figures relate to all employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey period was unaffected by absence.

Planning

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is following the progress of the planning application from IKEA at Braehead and whether this matter will automatically be referred to it for consideration.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is aware of the planning application for an IKEA store at Braehead. Should Glasgow City Council be minded to grant planning permission for the development, the application will require to be notified to the Scottish Ministers as it comprises retail floorspace in excess of 10,000 square metres and because a neighbouring council has made representations to the effect that planning permission should not be granted.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have submitted revisions to their Structure Plans following the revised National Planning Policy Guidelines 16 and which local authorities have advised that they will submit amendments in due course.

Sarah Boyack: North, South and East Ayrshire (jointly), Mid, East and West Lothian (jointly) and Dumfries and Galloway Councils have all submitted revisions. All other relevant councils - Clackmannan, Falkirk, Fife, North and South Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross and Scottish Borders - have chosen to consider revisions in tandem with their current review timetables for Structure Plans.

Police

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what government funding Northern Constabulary has received this year and in each of the previous five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: Direct funding of Northern Constabulary by the Scottish Executive in the current financial year and by the Scottish Office in the previous five years is shown in the table below. Forces also meet a proportion of their costs from local authority funding.

  


Year 


1995-96
£000 


1996-97
£000 


1997-98
£000 


1998-99
£000 


1999-2000
£000 


2000-01
(estimate) £000 




Police Grant 


14,089 


14,920 


15,901 


16,884 


18,116 


18,806 




Loan Charges 


1,379 


1,357 


1,310 


1,365 


1,690 


1,636 




Civil Defence Grant 


52 


54 


55 


55 


55 


55 




Millennium Funding 

 
 
 
 
 

409 




Additional 100% Funding 

 
 
 
 
 

523 




SDEA Funding 

 
 
 
 
 

100 




DNA 

 
 
 
 
 

91 




TOTAL 


15,520 


16,331 


17,266 


18,304 


19,861 


21,520 




  Police Grant was cash limited from 1996-97 onwards. Loan charges depend on the capital projects within the force area at any given time.

Police

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the recent Police Complaints Authority report stating that it has dealt with a rising number of allegations of sexual harassment perpetrated by police officers and that, in some cases, officers have formed sexual relationships with the victims of domestic violence.

Mr Jim Wallace: Any reports of sexual harassment by police officers are taken extremely seriously in Scotland. Criminal complaints are referred to the Regional Procurator Fiscal for independent investigation.

Prison Service

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the Scottish Prison Service has sufficient personnel to make sure that prisons become drug free.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. Mr Cameron’s response is as follows:

  Reducing drug misuse in Scottish prisons is not simply a matter of numbers of personnel. The continuous development and introduction of technical security measures, including the use of drug detection dogs, also has an important part to play, as does treatment and counselling of drug users. The SPS has established targets for reducing the number of positive drug tests on an annual basis and for increasing the proportion of the SPS that is drug free. The recently revised SPS Drug Strategy, launched by the Deputy Justice Minster on 8 June, includes the appointment of drug co-ordinators in all Scottish prisons and is designed to build on the positive progress the SPS has made.

Rail Network

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations, direction or guidance have been made to or given to the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority regarding the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link and, if none, what representations, direction and guidance it proposes to make or give.

Sarah Boyack: Under the provisions made in the UK Transport Bill, introduced on 1 December 1999, the Scottish Ministers will be able to issue directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority for passenger rail services that begin and end in Scotland. Since the Bill has not completed its passage through Parliament at Westminister, the Scottish Ministers are not yet able to exercise these powers. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority on a wide range of matters affecting the development of the railways in Scotland.

Rail Network

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Public Transport Fund money will be available to re-open the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link.

Sarah Boyack: Individual railway infrastructure projects such as the reopening of the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link are eligible for Public Transport Fund support (PTF). PTF, however, is allocated on a competitive basis. As a consequence, any such proposals would need to comply with the eligibility criteria for the fund and any formal bid would be considered along with bids from other local authorities and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.

Roads

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5884 by Sarah Boyack on 22 June 2000, what works are planned for the A90 at Hatton during financial year 2002-03 financed by the planned expenditure of £0.25 million that year.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is currently considering alternative proposals for the A90 Hatton Bends Improvement Scheme and has provisionally included £0.25 million in financial year 2002-03 to cover the anticipated construction costs. However, the planned expenditure is subject to change depending on the outcome of the consideration of the alternative scheme proposals.

Roads

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include the Kelvin Valley route in the options to be considered in the multi-modal study of the A80/M80 and, if not, whether it will explain why this option will not be considered.

Sarah Boyack: No. I refer Mr Gorrie to The Strategic Roads Review, Scheme Decisions , pages 6 and 7.

Rural Affairs

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why there has not yet been any consultation on sheep tagging in Scotland, when consultation papers have been sent out in England and Wales and what effect any delay in introducing sheep tagging will have on the export market for Scottish lambs.

Ross Finnie: I refer Mr Scott to my reply to question S1W-8655. I do not envisage that the proposals will have an effect on the export market for Scottish lambs.

Rural Affairs

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to make regulations to introduce a system of tagging of sheep and goats in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: A number of detailed procedural questions have arisen in relation to the construction of the Scottish legislation to introduce tagging of sheep and goats. These have now been resolved and I can announce that the draft Scottish legislation, which will be similar to that planned for England and Wales, will issue for consultation shortly.

  The aim is that the new provisions, which will include a requirement for the tagging or tattooing of all sheep and goats in Scotland before they leave their holding of birth, will not take effect until 1 January 2001.

Sexual Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to (a) encourage more widespread testing for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases and (b) encourage the public to come forward for testing.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answers to questions S1W-5084, S1W-5086 and S1W-6528 regarding sexual health issues and the existing guidelines on chlamydial infection.

  Many people do not seek medical advice for chlamydial infection, which is asymptomatic in 70% of infected women and 50% of infected men. One aim of the measures outlined in previous answers is to encourage more people to seek advice and help for sexually transmitted infections.

Sexual Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the less accurate invasive swab test for chlamydia will be replaced by the more accurate urine test and, if so, when this will be achieved by each health board.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6528 regarding the development of testing for chlamydial infection.

  The recently issued SIGN guidelines recommend the use of molecular tests, but the timing of their introduction is for decision by health boards.

Sexual Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of Scotland’s 63 gynaecology units routinely screen for chlamydia.

Susan Deacon: This information is not collected centrally.

Sexual Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of women undergoing termination of pregnancy or giving birth were tested for chlamydia and how many had the disease in the last year for which figures are available.

Susan Deacon: This information is not collected centrally.

Sexual Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which high risk groups will be tested routinely for chlamydia at genital urinary medicine clinics.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6528.

  A survey conducted in 1997 for the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme for sexually transmitted infection in Scotland indicated that all Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics in Scotland routinely tested all clients for chlamydial infection.

Sheltered Housing

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations, and from whom, on the provision of night-time warden services in sheltered housing complexes.

Iain Gray: Yes, the Scottish Executive has received representations on the provision of night-time warden services from individuals in North and South Ayrshire and in Edinburgh.

Skye Bridge

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked Her Majesty’s Government to clarify whether there is any basis for a derogation from the EU proposals regarding VAT on bridge tolls in respect of the Skye Bridge, on the basis that there is no alternative access to Skye.

Sarah Boyack: The European Court of Justice decision on whether VAT should be levied on toll charges is not expected before 12 September. The UK Government and the devolved administrations are at present considering the likely consequences if the court were not to find in favour of the United Kingdom.

Skye Bridge

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to end date stamping on books of concessionary tickets for the Skye Bridge; who would meet such costs, and whether the termination of date stamping would have any impact upon the end date of the current toll collection contract.

Sarah Boyack: When I made public the DTZ Pieda Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of the Skye Bridge on 22 June 2000, I also indicated that I had asked officials to investigate the cost and practical implications of ending the date stamping on books of discount tickets. This investigation is proceeding.

Social Inclusion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any new social inclusion funding initiatives will be put in place following the conclusion of the New Futures Fund initiative.

Henry McLeish: We have begun to consider options for the future of the New Futures Fund once the current programme ends in March 2002 but it is too early to say what the outcome will be.

Statistics

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of Scotland had non-oil GDP per capita of less than 75% of the European Union average in the most recent year for which figures are available, based on the lowest geographic area for which figures are available.

Henry McLeish: No estimates of non-oil GDP are held centrally for areas within Scotland. Total GDP figures are available for the three European Union NUTS areas up to 1996. These were published in Scottish Economic Statistics 2000 , a copy of which is available from SPICe.

Telecommunications

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6966 by Sarah Boyack on 31 May 2000, whether, following the meeting with representatives of the telecommunications industry, the primary legislation announced by Sarah Boyack on 11 May 2000 will be in place in time to provide effective regulation of third generation licenses.

Sarah Boyack: It is our intention to consult on proposals for secondary legislation and associated guidance later in the summer. A number of new installations, whether for second or third generation technology, will be dealt with under current planning arrangements.

Transport

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the scope of community transport schemes to encompass urban housing estates which are currently excluded.

Sarah Boyack: The Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme applies to community transport activities in settlements with populations of 10,000 or less, although applications would be eligible if the project involved travel to towns with a population of over 10,000 provided the project was for the benefit of a rural area. There are no plans to extend the scheme to include urban areas. Local authorities can make grants in relation to the provision of community transport services in urban areas.

Tuberculosis

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the increase of 5.5% in 1998 in the number of notifications of tuberculosis.

Susan Deacon: The number of cases of tuberculosis in Scotland has been comparatively low and relatively stable in the 1990s, with no suggestion of an upward trend. The increase of 5.5% in 1998 is likely to be due to natural random variations in incidence. In 1999, the provisional number of notified cases is 373, slightly lower than 1998.

  In 1998, a comprehensive guidance document on the management and control of tuberculosis, The Control of Tuberculosis in Scotland, was issued to health professionals.

  In February 1999, a letter to health professionals from the Executive’s Health Department drew attention to new UK guidelines on the prevention and control of HIV-related tuberculosis and drug-resistant, including multiple drug-resistant, tuberculosis.

  The Executive is funding the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) to carry out enhanced surveillance of tuberculosis in Scotland. This surveillance scheme was introduced in January 2000 and is intended to provide fuller information, to enable better targeting of interventions and better control of the disease in future.